Wednesday, April 4, 2012

This has been one of the most exciting weeks in comics to come around in a long time. The Hulk hits landmark issue #50 with a very angry Red Hulk duking it out with the spirit world, Marvel rolls out the red carpet for Avengers VS. X-Men, Zenescope returns to the horrors of The Waking with Dreams End and DC kills it as Swamp Thing continues as one of the best comics of the year in grotesquely beautiful issue #8. All this and some groundbreaking comics news from camp Dark Horse in this week’s Paranormal Pop Comics rundown:

The murder rate is at an all time low…yay! The murder rate is at an all time low because the dead aren’t staying dead…oh no! The latest from Raven Gregory, the writer and creator of comic super hits such as the Wonderland Trilogy and Fly, volume two of The Waking is back and with a vengeance. If you’re typically scared of little girls holding teddy bears that stare with glowing evil eyes, then you will love the sophomore story arc of The Waking that brings back all the horror and creepiness of the first volume. After reading issue #1, I’m not sure if this is where “Dreams End” or “Nightmares Begin.”

The worst part about ghosts is that you can’t punch them when they get annoying. The Red Hulk has the ability to smash small mountains with his gigantic fists of fury but there is little he can do about a creepy shadow ghost following him around. Ever since his experience with the Demonspawn Blackheart, Hulk has had a serious case of the creeps and now even his loyal robot friend Aaron is acting strange, almost as if possessed. Who is this mysterious ghost man and why are all of those zombie soldiers trying to grab Red’s heart like that crazy high-priest dude in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom? Will the Hulk be able to conquer evil entities that can’t be crushed or killed? Welcome to the paranormal side Hulkster.

Once again Swamp Thing outdoes itself in issue #8 with a fluid story line that weaves like a bipartisan vine between the green and the rot respective perspectives. The panels are unusual yet overflowing with Paquette’s unique patchwork style and go hand in hand with Snyder’s emotional storytelling of one man trapped inside the form of a monster, desperately trying to save the world and the woman he loves from being destroyed by evil. Still gross and still gory, maybe even grosser than issue #7, I still love Swamp Thing and can’t wait to see The Green’s warrior king duke it out with The Rot’s female giant insect-like champion, also known as Swamp Thing’s former lady love Abigail. At least it’s all very organic. I think, no matter the outcome, the EPA would approve of this epic environmental battle of the ecosystems or at least endorse its "green" message.

Dark Horse debuts motion-comic ‘The Secret’ on Geek & SundryGeek & Sundry is the new all geek, all the time YouTube Channel presented by nerd superstar Felicia Day and friends. In addition to a lovely variety of programming featuring shows about gaming, a Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Club, skits about Nerd Culture and lots of music; Dark Horse Comics has thrown their hat into the weekly line-up of the nerdcast and will be debuting a new motion-comic episode on the channel every Wednesday.

Dark Horse kicked off their motion-comic series on April 2nd with Part One of The Secret, “a chilling coming-of-age mystery from Dark Horse founder Mike Richardson and Eisner-nominated artist Jason Alexander (Damn Nation; The Escapists).”

"We've been experimenting with motion comics for some time," Dark Horse Publisher Mike Richardson told Comic Book Resources of the launch. "We've got some ideas on how to present them, and we've been partnered with a company that's state of the art which is run by Erik Bruhwiler. Erik is a genius at this, and the motion comics he's come up with are beyond anything that you've seen.”

“Obviously, the advantage of sound and motion allows for some additional scares,” the publisher added. “The book on its own has some creepy moments in it, though it leaves a lot of it to your imagination. It gives you the great things a book can offer. But motion comics give you some additional opportunities to scare the viewer. I think people will be surprised watching these."

Dark Horse announces return of Ghost – The Series

At Emerald City Comic Con this past weekend, Dark Horse announced that popular title Ghost, which debuted in 1993 as part of Dark Horse Comics’ Greatest World Series, will be returning to single issue monthly format.

Ghost will first return this summer in Dark Horse Presents #13 and then the series will begin with a #0 issue to be released September 19, 2012 followed by Ghost #1 on October 10, 2012.

This new incarnation of Ghost is written by Kelly Sue DeConnick and illustrated by Phil Noto. “There’s something about her, something about the way Phil draws her . . . I think it’s in the eyes. It’s like he’s given her a soul. She’s equal parts charismatic and creepy for me to work with, honestly,” said DeConnick. “The new series is a fresh start, an alternative take. No prior knowledge of the character or the universe is necessary. There’s a good chance you’ll be into this one too.”

Avengers VS X-Men comes to ABC’s ‘The Chew’
After a lot of hype and anticipation, today is the day that Marvel finally put Avengers VS X-Men into the hot little hands of comics enthusiasts all across the country. In honor of this battle royale of two of the most beloved and famous superhero teams of all time, Marvel has taken their show on the road and landed on ABC’s popular cooking talk show The Chew. The show features celebrity chefs Mario Batali, Michael Symon and Carla Hall, style & entertaining expert Clinton Kelly and health & wellness enthusiast Daphne Oz.

“Tune in to ABC [April 4th] at 1et/12pt/c to celebrate the worldwide release of Avengers VS X-Men #1, in comic stores and on the Marvel Comics app, as Daphne Oz shares two healthy cookie recipes that are the perfect addition to any Super Hero party that even Captain America would approve.”

Marvel Entertainment to crash the White House’s 2012 Easter Egg Hunt
As if crashing a cooking show wasn’t enough, Marvel Entertainment will be participating in the 2012 Easter Egg Roll, which takes place on the South Lawn of the White House. This year’s “Egg Roll” is focused on promoting health and wellness with the theme, “Let’s Go, Let’s Play, Let’s Move!” All of the activities, including sports courts, dancing and cooking encourage children to lead healthy and active lives, which is a central part of the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative, a national campaign to combat childhood obesity.

What better way to tell kids to stop eating junk food and promote fitness than the endorsement of a few hunky superheroes? Costume characters expected to attend include Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America; they will be on hand for a meet and greet with children. Let’s just hope it’s the superheroes who show up and not their alter-egos which tend to be more on the pale, skinny side.